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Once savvy, NBC’s Olympics deal is shakier after Beijing
The Associated Press ^ | February 20, 2022 | By DAVID BAUDER and JOE REEDY

Posted on 02/20/2022 5:11:59 AM PST by Oldeconomybuyer

NEW YORK (AP) — There were many reasons to think NBC made a savvy business deal in 2014 when it locked up the American media rights to the Olympics through 2032 for $7.75 billion.

As the Beijing winter games come to a close, it’s harder to see them now.

These Olympics were a disaster for the network: a buzz-free, hermetically-sealed event in an authoritarian country a half-day’s time zone away, where the enduring images will be the emotional meltdown of Russian teen-agers after a drug-tainted figure skating competition and a bereft Mikaela Shiffrin, sitting on a ski slope wondering what went wrong.

Many American athletes underperformed, and arguably the most successful — freestyle skier Eileen Gu — competed for China.

Viewers stayed away in alarming numbers, and NBC has to wonder whether it was extraordinarily bad luck or if the brand of a once-unifying event for tens of millions of people is permanently tainted.

Through Tuesday, an average of 12.2 million people watched the Olympics in prime-time on NBC, cable or the Peacock streaming service, down 42 percent from the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea. The average for NBC alone was 10 million, a 47 percent drop, the Nielsen company said.

NBC has not yet said whether the Beijing games turned a profit or lost money.

(Excerpt) Read more at apnews.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Music/Entertainment; Sports
KEYWORDS: ccp; china; comcast; communism; nbc; olympics; virus; wuhan
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To: Leep

Lol.


21 posted on 02/20/2022 5:57:17 AM PST by Trailerpark Badass (“There should be a whole lot more going on than throwing bleach,” said one woman.)
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To: dangus

The next Games (if they happen) are as follows:
2024-Paris (Summer)
2026-Milano-Cortina-D’Ampezzo (Winter)
2028-Los Angeles (Summer)
2030- TBA (Winter)
2032-Brisbane (Summer)

A couple of things: WHY hasn’t the host city for the 2030 Winter Games been announced? Could it be no one wants it?
And the 2028 Games in LA..IF there’s a city left, and with the economy the way it is, can they even pull it off?

And with my idea of ‘no totalitarian country’ hosting the Games, considering what’s going on Down Under with how they’re reacting to Covid, does Australia now qualify as ‘totalitarian’?


22 posted on 02/20/2022 5:58:15 AM PST by hoagy62 (DTCM&OTTH)
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To: discostu

Not that popular in the largest media market in the world, ok. Maybe they’re more popular in India.


23 posted on 02/20/2022 5:59:49 AM PST by Trailerpark Badass (“There should be a whole lot more going on than throwing bleach,” said one woman.)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

If one wants to avoid hosting the Olympics in authoritarian countries, Australia and Canada have just disqualified themselves.


24 posted on 02/20/2022 5:59:54 AM PST by Lysandru
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To: tje

NBC - Nothing But Crap


25 posted on 02/20/2022 6:00:10 AM PST by DownInFlames (P)
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To: hoagy62
(In fact, NO country with a totalitarian government should EVER be considered for an Olympics.)

Australia is hosting it in 2032...

26 posted on 02/20/2022 6:01:14 AM PST by fluorescence
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To: Trailerpark Badass

They aren’t. Not when compared to the Summer games. Doesn’t matter our media market size. If the sports only have half the following then the numbers are half. Country could be 2 million people or 2 billion, the math is consistent, Winter Games get significantly lower ratings than Summer in America. We’re just not as into skiing and skating and hockey as we are into basketball and swimming and track and gymnastics.


27 posted on 02/20/2022 6:08:56 AM PST by discostu (like a dog being shown a card trick)
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To: Hardastarboard

China/NBC

A match made in hell.


28 posted on 02/20/2022 6:09:48 AM PST by Leep (Freedom: "What's the big deal" -joe biden)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

It has nothing to do with NBC coverage, and EVERYTHING to do with Americans refusing to give China the time of day.


29 posted on 02/20/2022 6:15:30 AM PST by Flaming Conservative ((Pray without ceasing))
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To: Oldeconomybuyer
Once the Olympics are over there will be plenty of news to report.
30 posted on 02/20/2022 6:17:44 AM PST by McGruff (Trump/DeSantis 2024)
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To: hoagy62

For the LA Olympics..no need to book a hotel room.
Bring a tent.


31 posted on 02/20/2022 6:18:06 AM PST by Leep (Freedom: "What's the big deal" -joe biden)
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To: FatherofFive

I was in a restaurant a couple of days ago and there was a lady figure skating on the TV above the cash register. I said to myself, I guess the Olympics are still on., And then I went to my table.


32 posted on 02/20/2022 6:29:56 AM PST by cuban leaf (My prediction: Harris is Spiro Agnew. We'll soon see who becomes Gerald Ford, and our next prez.)
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To: mware
When McKay ruled ABC sports it was all about the narrative. He would identify ahead of time who he thought should win and ABC would run human interest mini bios on each of their picks.

This backfired on them when they picked a particular woman to win an Ironman triathlon who led most of the way but ended up sputtering out and fouling herself while her competitors passed her by.

33 posted on 02/20/2022 6:30:28 AM PST by who_would_fardels_bear (This is not a tagline.)
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To: hoagy62

2030 looks like Barcelona or Vancouver. After Los Angeles got the summer, Utah became more likely to bid for 2034. Other potential sites look too politically iffy, due to the potential of insecure democracies: Almaty, Kazakstan; the formerly Soviet Georgia; Lviv, Ukraine; Sarajevo; Ufa, Russia... oh, and Vancouver.


34 posted on 02/20/2022 6:31:56 AM PST by dangus
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

The Olympics brand is permanently tainted if not outright destroyed. The Olympics jumped the shark decades ago and the winter Olympics are particularly stupid.


35 posted on 02/20/2022 6:35:52 AM PST by Newtoidaho (All I ask of living is to have no chains on me.)
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To: hoagy62

The IOC usually announces locations 7 years out, so it would not be time yet to award the 2030 location.

From the Sporting News:

The site for the 2030 Winter Games has not yet been determined. Two previous hosts, Vancouver (2010) and Sapporo, Japan (1972) are in the bid process. Taking a page from Beijing, 1992 Summer Games host Barcelona also is in the running as part of a joint bid known as Barcelona-Pyrenees that also includes proposed venues in France and Andorra. The 2002 host, Salt Lake City, also is interested in another go at it but reportedly is focused on 2034 due to the proximity of the Los Angeles Games in 2028.

https://www.sportingnews.com/us/olympics/news/winter-olympics-2026-location-dates/szlbkk0td2yatiwllta0fnsd

This Quartz article has a convoluted explanation of why Brisbane was chosen 11 years out as part of a new corruption resistant selection process.

How does the new selection process work?
As early as 11 years before an Olympiad (in the case of Brisbane), two “Future Host Commissions” made up of interested parties in the world of sports and the Olympic movement launch informal and confidential exchanges with potential host cities. They run “feasibility assessments,” which “highlight opportunities and challenges,” make sure the costs are manageable, and that construction plans are in line with environmental and human rights standards.

They then enter into a more “targeted dialogue” with a specific city. They can recommend that city to the IOC executive board, which can choose it as a “preferred host,” and then all the IOC members vote on it. There’s no specific timeline and the candidate cities are in “continuous dialogue” with the IOC and the Commissions, so there’s no expensive, one-time formal submission.

A successful Brisbane Games could help the Olympics
“Brisbane 2032 is the first future host to have been elected under, and to have fully benefited from, the new flexible approach to electing Olympic hosts,” IOC president Thomas Bach said in a press release. “The reforms enable the IOC to work in partnership with cities, regions, and countries, to encourage Olympic projects which use a high percentage of existing and temporary venues, which align with long-term development plans, and which have a strong vision for sports and local communities.”

https://qz.com/2036384/how-did-brisbane-get-the-2032-olympic-games/#:~:text=Under%20the%20new%20system%E2%80%94parts%20of%20which%20were%20used,and%20sustainability%2C%20and%20takes%20public%20opinion%20into%20account.


36 posted on 02/20/2022 6:39:58 AM PST by Steven Scharf
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To: dangus

Why should any of these cities want to host an economic disaster? The OC should build permanent venues instead of adding to their own wealth.


37 posted on 02/20/2022 6:41:22 AM PST by cp124 (Living under medical tyranny. )
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

The stories are trashy disloyal and spoiled. Every year we are told how many hundreds of millions of condoms they supply the Olympic village. They picked an idiotic communist dictatorship that everyone hates. And they fill it up with modern retarded sports like snowboarding stunts, synchronized swimming, and other new things. Last but not least, half of the time they are pushing person crap like trannies and homos, BLM , raising fists, turning their back on the anthem etc.

It’s not much fun to watch anymore.


38 posted on 02/20/2022 6:44:07 AM PST by DesertRhino (Dogs are called man's best friend. Moslems hate dogs. Add it up....)
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To: hoagy62

And the 2028 Games in LA..IF there’s a city left, and with the economy the way it is, can they even pull it off?

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Do you think Newsom will have relaxed his COVID restrictions by then? /sarc

Seriously, LA is not fit for an Olympic venue & I don’t think they’ll be ‘ready’ in 2028.


39 posted on 02/20/2022 6:47:17 AM PST by Qiviut (🍊 #standup "Don't let your children die on the hill you refuse to fight on.")
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To: mware

My complaint about NBC’s coverage of all olympics since 1992 is they seem to be trying to get women to watch. Lots of “up close and personal” segments and heavy rotation of judged sports like gymnastics and ice dancing.

This time, I watched biathlon and curling. The coverage for those was pretty decent and there was no judging.

When the summer olympics come, track and field will get 2% coverage and every second of women’s gymnastics will grace our screens.


40 posted on 02/20/2022 6:54:09 AM PST by Poser (Cogito ergo Spam - I think, therefore I ham)
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